June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut) puts on a cap after being introduced as the number twelve overall pick to the Houston Rockets during the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; Andre Drummond (Connecticut), right, is introduced as the number nine overall pick to the Detroit Pistons by NBA commissioner David Stern during the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

NEWARK, N.J. -- Two years ago, Andre Drummond was a 16-year-old prep schooler and Jeremy Lamb was a relatively unheralded recruit just arriving on the UConn campus.

Now, they are both NBA lottery picks.

Drummond, the Middletown product, was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the ninth overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft Thursday night at the Prudential Center. Three picks later, Lamb was selected by the Houston Rockets at No. 12.

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"It's a dream come true, growing up as a little kid, hearing my name being called and shaking David Stern's hand," Drummond said. "I just feel great."

Said Lamb: "I just want to thank God. During the workout process, I sprained my ankle and God blessed me to come back with a speedy recovery."

It's the third time that UConn has had two lottery picks in the same draft and first time since 2006. The program has now had 13 lottery picks and 18 first-round selections under Jim Calhoun.

Drummond said on Wednesday that he expected to go anywhere between No. 2 and No. 7, so his drop to No. 9 was somewhat of a surprise. Five teams he had worked out for -- Cleveland, Sacramento, Golden State, Portland and Charlotte -- all passed on him. Drummond said he had a late workout on Wednesday with the Pistons.

"I didn't look at myself as being a top pick or anything like that," he said. "I just looked at it as, wherever I was going to go, I was going to work my hardest."

Drummond, seated with his mother, Christine Cameron, and sister, Ariana, in the "green room," appeared very emotional once his name was called.

"My mom was holding my hand throughout the whole draft, and she was like, 'We're here, be patient, your name is going to be called soon,'" he said. "As soon as (No. 8) Toronto went by and Detroit came up, I started breaking down because I thought about all of the years I worked hard and all of the struggles I went through playing basketball, just everything went through. Hearing my name being called is the greatest thing in the world."

Per the NBA's rookie salary scale, he'll earn $1,963,600 as a rookie and $2,052,000 his second year. The team will hold options for both his third and fourth seasons.

Lamb had worked out for New Orleans and Toronto as well as Houston.

"I went up to Houston, really started a good relationship with them," he said. "It's a really good program and a good coach, and they seem like they are really in order. It's a great honor."

The Rockets are coached by former Celtic Hall of Famer Kevin McHale.

"I've met him plenty of times, he's a great guy," Lamb said. "Being able to learn from (and) be coached by a great coach like that is just a blessing."

Lamb will be paid $1,683,500 as a rookie and $1,759,300 his second season.

Drummond, who won't turn 19 until August, was born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., and moved to Middletown as a youngster. He committed to UConn last August, just before the fall semester was set to begin, and averaged 10 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game as a freshman. He earned Big East all-rookie team honors.

At times, Drummond was dominant this past winter, at other times practically invisible on the court. He shot just 29.5 percent from the foul line and displayed little to no low post moves. NBA scouts and executives marveled at his athleticism but questioned his work ethic, "motor" and love for the game.

"I can definitely make an impact on defense, run the floor really well and grab rebounds and block shots," Drummond said. "Offensively is what they are going to work on me with, and it's definitely going to come to me."

Lamb, a 6-5 shooting guard from Norcross, Ga., averaged 17.7 points and was a first team all-Big East selection this past season. He was an AP honorable mention All-American.

As a freshman on UConn's 2011 national championship team, Lamb averaged 11.1 points per game and came on strong in the NCAA tournament, averaging 16.2 points while shooting 58 percent from the field in seven games.

Lamb was limited in his workouts by a sprained ankle he suffered just a few minutes into his workout for the Raptors two weeks ago.

"It was tough with the ankle," he said, "because people try to doubt my heart, doubt my competitiveness, and the whole time I competed when I was working out on a bad ankle. It just showed my competitiveness, and that I always want to push myself."